All the Waters of the Earth by Leslie McAdam

Romance novelist Lucy Figueroa lives a life of the imagination. While her stories are filled with fictional alpha male heroes, her real life is filled with nothing but Mr. Wrongs. As a sassy, strong, single mom, she doesn’t need anyone… except maybe a new book idea. And to forgive herself for the mistakes of the past.Lucy’s sexy new neighbor, Jake Slausen, looks like one of her characters come to life. While he fits the heartthrob part, he doesn’t act it, too distracted by his cell phone and his job for any relationship. Damaged by his childhood, he’s ignored his true calling and goes through his days on autopilot…until he meets Lucy.

First drawn together by chemistry, then by a fierce need to protect each other even from themselves, will Jake and Lucy learn to accept their pasts or will they convince themselves that happily ever afters only exists in romance novels?

Leslie McAdam is a California girl who loves romance, Little Dude, and well-defined abs. She lives in a drafty old farmhouse on a small orange tree farm in Southern California with her husband and two small children. Leslie always encourages her kids to be themselves – even if it means letting her daughter wear leopard print from head to toe. An avid reader from a young age, she will always trade watching TV for reading a book, unless it’s Top Gear. Or football. Leslie is employed by day but spends her nights writing about the men you fantasize about. She’s unapologetically sarcastic and notoriously terrible at comma placement (that’s what editors are for!).Always up for a laugh, Leslie tries to see humor in all things. When she’s not in the writing cave you’ll find her fangirling over Beck, camping with her family, or mixing up oil paints to depict her love of outdoors on canvas.

Let me just start by saying the cover model on this book is smoking...I may or may not have periodically stopped reading to stare. Seriously, those hands, the suit....YUM!

All the Waters of the Earth is the third book by Leslie McAdam. I was introduced to her work with book 2 and have set up camp in her fan club. All the Waters is just another reason to be team Leslie. I love that she ties in the characters from her other books, even if its just a little cameo for some. You do not however have to read the other books to know whats going on. Each book is a standalone. So with out further ado...

Lucy is a single mom to a sweet book loving 12 year old. She works at home as a novelist and does some side work as a nude model. Model - not prostitute, not call girl, but a figure model for the local college art classes. She loves and takes care of he son. She does everything for him.

When the new neighbor comes to introduce himself, Lucy is suddenly thinking about more than her son. She discovers that though she is living no one has ever made her feel more alive. This could be a problem. Not only is he gorgeous, but he's not running scared at the idea she has a son. Jake may be a workaholic, but he is always checking on her. Though they got off to a rocky start this could really work, until her Ex gets involved.

Lucy's ex is dragging her into court and through the mud with accusations flying just to avoid paying child support. When tension runs high, Jake drops the ball and Lucy is left with the pieces of her heart. Not willing to jeopardize her son, she scrambles to shove it all inside and carry on.

Being a romance novelist, Lucy is aware that people make mistakes. She romanticizes everything. She realizes that life gives second chances but is she willing to put herself at risk again? Will Jake be more than the neighbor or is he already more?

I love the way Leslie writes her characters. Everyone has flaws and their own stories. I just seem to click well with her characters. Something about them pulls you in and brings you along for the ride. That being said, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.